Heart Of A Sage
by greekangel20
Summary: Sage Alverez came to the Jeffersonian with one goal: to fulfill her mother's last request before she runs out of time. Now Brennan, Booth and the rest of the gang find themselves face to face with a girl who will change them forever.Suckish summary, sorry


**A/N: Alright, so I started this story months ago, when Season Four was just barely starting. I tried to fix it as best I could, but some just did not stick. Sorry about that, folks. Anyway, read on and I hope you enjoy. Reviews are appreciated! Oh, and a disclaimer, before I forget. I don't own anything to do with Bones or any of the music that will be mentioned eventually.**

'Breathe, girl, breathe.' This is what the young Sage Mariana Alverez told herself as she stood in front of the security check-in at the Jeffersonian Institute.

'Crap,' she thought, 'why did I agree to do this again?'

She knew why. It was the reason she lived. It was a way to give her mother something back, after all she'd sacrificed for her.

Clenching her fists at her sides and taking one long, steady breath, she slipped in through a crowd of people. Possibly the class group her friend Peter had told her about, so she blended in well enough to get by unnoticed.

It was easier than she thought. And since no one in the group knew who she was, it was even easier to get away from them.

She knew what was in store for her when she got home. The bruises on her ribs were probably the least of her problems tonight. Liam wouldn't be happy she ditched school.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at her own last thought.

Well, at least that's what he should be concerned about. What her mom would be concerned about. The reality was that Liam would be mad at her for not coming home, not coming back so she could play housekeeper and waitress for him and his band of deadly goons.

It was worth it. Her mom was worth it. Though, how she'd managed to enlist herself for this specific mission, she was unsure.

She made it. Her stomach felt like a feather was tickling her insides, but she was through. Now if she could only find the forensic unit…

She nearly screamed when someone talked behind her.

"Can you give me a hand," someone asked. Startled, Sage threw her hands over her mouth to muffle a scream. Slowly, she turned.

The man in front of her looked her over in confusion. Or, she could say, she sensed his confusion. Because the man's face was hidden by a stack of boxes, ones usually used to hold files.

"You okay there?" he asked. Sage dropped her hands and laughed.

'Get a grip, you moron,' she scolded herself.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just…thinking," she said. She reached forward and took a box from the man's arms. This cleared his vision so she could get a good look at his face.

Light, curly brown hair, so light it was almost blonde. He had a rather elongated face. His nose was long and slightly pointed. He had alert, almost hostile blue eyes.

"That's okay, kid. We all have those days," he said. Sage smiled in relief. The man smiled back.

"I'm Dr. Jack Hodgins," he introduced himself, "I'd shake your hand but our hands are kind of full."

"I'm Sage. Sage Alverez."

"Nice to meet you. Follow me." He walked off, Sage close behind him. She watched her surroundings as she walked through the building. All shiny and futuristic, she felt like she'd stepped into some kind of science fiction movie.

"Impressive, isn't it?" the scientist said, with a prideful smile on his face as he took in her fascinated expression.

"Definitely," she answered in awe. Hodgins chuckled.

"You like science?" he asked her.

"I do. I'm told I'm a bit of a geek about it." He smiled at her again.

The man called Dr. Hodgins lead her up a set of stairs onto a platform.

There she is! Sage could see her, from the top step. Temperance Brennan herself. She was standing in a room not far from the metal platform, hands on her hips, making an angry face at some man in a suit. A good-looking man, to be sure. The man shook his head at her, and took a step closer.

'Gees. Talk about sexual tension,' Sage couldn't help but observe.

"You can set that right here," Hodgins' voice suddenly bumped her back into reality.

"Oh. Here," she said, setting the box on the table he was pointing to. He smiled a thank you, then leaned over one of the boxes and popped the lid off.

"Do you need help, Sage?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the contents of the box, "Did you get separated from your school group or something?"

"Uh, no. I was just…" Sage couldn't think of a good enough excuse. "Crap…" She didn't mean to say the last part out loud, but she had just spotted her guardian, Liam, walking around with a couple of men that looked like security guards. Hodgins finally looked up at her. He followed her eyes to see where she was looking.

"He yours? Cause he's definitely not one of ours," he said, looking at the man curiously. But Sage's face had drained of all color. When she didn't answer, he turned to look at her. Taking in her appearance, he was suddenly worried.

"Hey, Jack," one of the security guards shouted. Hodgins sent a look to Sage, and pointed under the table. She smiled gratefully, and ran to duck. Once she was securely hidden, Hodgins went over to the platform railing.

"Hey, Lenny. How's Jamie and the kids?" he asked.

"They're great, Jack," the security guard replied, "I have a question for you."

"I've got answers, man," Hodgins replied cheerfully, though his posture was a tad stiffer than his tone implied.

"This guy, Liam Brown, says his niece snuck in here," Lenny said.

"Niece? How old?"

Hodgins got a look at the guy next to the older security guard. Punk was the only word that came to mind to describe him. Baggy clothes, hands stuffed in his pockets as if he were ready for a fight: Hard facial features, long, bony face, dirty blonde hair, and dangerous hazel eyes. He didn't like the look of him, especially after seeing how the teenage girl had reacted to his presence.

Maybe his instincts were right. Maybe there was a reason she was afraid, other than just punishment.

"Sixteen," the gangster-looking man replied.

"What does she look like?" Hodgins asked.

"Red hair, blue eyes. Short, like 5'1"," Liam replied. Hodgins pretended to think it over.

"I think I remember seeing her…what makes you think she'd come here?"

"She's looking for some book lady," Liam said.

"She's looking for Dr. Brennan," Lenny clarified when Hodgins could only stare at the man hazily.

"Why is she looking for Dr. B?" Hodgins asked.

"Sage is…she's kinda crazy. She's a big fan of the book lady. Kind of obsessed," Liam said, in a smug way. Hodgins heard Sage scoff under the table, then slam her hands over her mouth in alarm at her own voice.

"Uh-oh. I saw a girl matching your description, but she was heading toward the museum when I bumped into her. She'd probably be there by now," Hodgins answered. He didn't know whether he was making the right or wrong decision in fooling the man, but there was something about Liam that made him uneasy. Maybe Hodgins was being too hasty in categorizing Sage as harmless, but he reasoned that, with Booth here, his colleague would be safe no matter how dangerous she turned out to be. Who knows, she might actually have a good reason for being here.

"Thanks, Jack," Lenny said, leading Liam and his guard partner away from the platform.

Once they were out of sight, Hodgins squatted down to look at Sage. The girl smiled bravely, but he could detect a bit of apprehension in her eyes. He extended a hand out to her. She took it, and he helped her to her feet.

"Okay, explain to me just why I risked my job to save your butt, kid," he said bluntly. The truth was he hadn't known why he had done it. It had simply happened. Sage let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

"So you don't believe I'm crazy," she said in relief. Hodgins smiled.

"With the people I know, I'm not sure I'm the best person to judge that," he informed her. His mind briefly flashed to his institutionalized best friend. The reminder churned his insides, but he ignored it. There were more important things to attend to rather than wallowing at that moment. He returned his attention to the small girl in front of him. Sage laughed. "So…the angry dude is your uncle?"

Sage scoffed once again.

"If you can call him that. Good uncles probably wouldn't accuse their nieces of being crazed stalkers."

"In my family, they probably would," Hodgins replied. Sage laughed again.

"Well, then, we're on the same level in the luck we've had with our families," she answered. The two stood in silence for a few moments.

"I can't let you see Dr. Brennan until I know you aren't a threat," he then said. Sage sighed, and nodded.

"I figured," she muttered. She bent to pull something out of her backpack. A few moments later, she produced a picture. It was old, but Hodgins recognized one of the young women in it to be his friend, Temperance Brennan.

"Whoa. This picture, she's got to be…"

"Fifteen," Sage finished for him. The picture was of two teenage girls with their arms draped around each other's shoulders. One, with Brennan's auburn hair and blue-green eyes. The other, bore a striking resemblance to the teenager in front of him.

"Who's the other girl?"

"My mother," she replied. Hodgins stopped grinning at hearing the sadness in her voice.

"Booth! I am not a child. I could have handled his request with perfect civility," a female voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. Sage saw Dr. Brennan walking out of her office with the good-looking man in a suit she had called Booth.

"I know, Bones. Gees, you would have handled him…exactly the way you handled Howard Epps," the man retorted. Whatever this meant, it hit a nerve.

"Just because I'm a woman does not mean I will over-react!" she shot back.

"No, Bones. Normal woman over-react. You…yeah, you explode," he replied. She glared at him again.

By this time, Sage had made her way down the stairs of the platform, leaving a stunned Hodgins behind and ran on her way over to the bickering partners.

"Excuse me?" she said quietly.

"What?" Brennan exclaimed. Sage tried not to laugh. Booth looked at her inquisitively, wondering why the teenage girl who approached them was fighting hysteria.

"She's a kid, Bones," Booth scolded. Brennan sighed.

"How can I help you?" she said, more gently this time, and then glared at her partner. Her voice was still full of tension, and it wasn't stifled enough that Sage wanted to laugh anymore.

"You are Dr. Brennan, correct?" Sage asked. Stupid question. One she knew the answer to. If only she'd planned what she'd say to Brennan as well as she prepared her plan to get into the lab; for now she found herself at loss for words other than the idiotic question that just came out of her mouth.

"I am," Brennan said. The fact that she was still radiating with the intensity of the argument she was having with her partner made it more difficult for Sage to not feel intimidated.

"My name is Sage. Sage Alverez. I was wondering if I could get a chance to speak with you alone," she said. Her voice was shaking. Dr. Brennan was looking at her strangely, so she decided to focus her attention on observing the man beside her.

The badge at his hip told her he was an F.B.I. agent. She suddenly remembered the dedication in one of Brennan's books, referring to a Special Agent Seeley Booth.

The man in front of her looked to be in his mid to late thirties. Wide, strong chiseled features and warm, chocolate colored eyes. He was watching her with a great curiosity. Unconsciously, he had put himself a bit in front of his partner, as if he expected an attack to take place. Sage bit her lip. 'I really should have thought this through…' she thought.

"What about?" Brennan asked.

"Personal business," Sage said quietly, all confidence and courage suddenly abandoning her.

"That would be impossible, considering the fact that I don't know you," Brennan stated bluntly. Sage inwardly cringed. What had she gotten herself into?

"Bones," the man beside her said in a scolding tone.

Brennan didn't understand who this girl was or why she had approached her in the first place. But there was something about her face that struck her. Something familiar.

"Bones," Booth whispered beside her. He gripped her elbow. "We have to go interview Yates, remember?"

"Right." Enough fooling around. Enough delaying their case for a girl that seemed familiar, but was not able to be identified in Brennan's memory.

"We have to get going," she told Sage, as Booth laid a hand on her lower back and started to guide her in the direction of the door. They were almost there when the girl called out:

"My mother's name is Megan Shulty."

Brennan stopped dead in her tracks, her posture rapidly turning rigid. Booth watched as she reached up to cover the small amulet at the base of her throat with an unsteady hand. Slowly, she turned around.

She hadn't heard that name in so long. Sixteen years, to be precise. Megan Shulty was the reason she had made it through her foster care years. She was responsible for much of who she was that day.

And now, standing in front of her, was a young woman claiming to be her child.

"You're Meg's daughter?" she asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She felt Booth shift beside her, closer, as if to remind her she was alright.

Sage nodded. Brennan stepped forward. She linked a finger under the girl's chin and forced her to meet her eyes. Sage was a pretty girl, Brennan had noticed the second she introduced herself. Now, she compared her to the mental picture of her friend from long ago:

Same sharp, sloped brow, a brow that met gracefully with her high, wide-set cheekbones so clearly indicative of her Greek descent. Her hair was the same color as Meg's had been, auburn, almost the color of copper. She had the same wide sapphire eyes splashed with gray.

The young girl's eyes were shinier than they had been only moments before. Brennan smiled softly.

"You look like her," she finally said.

Sage released the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Unfortunately, Brennan's next question shattered what little peace the previous statement had given her.

"Why isn't she here herself?"

Booth watched as the teenager shifted, her shoulders drooping. A horrible thought occurred to him, for he had seen that look many times before.

"She's dying," Sage whispered, so quietly Booth almost didn't hear her.


End file.
